A/N: Okay guys here's chapter 7. Enjoy!

Chapter 7: The Rescue

Misaki sat on their couch, twirling the diamond ring which rested on her ring finger of her left hand. She sighed, "Tsubasa you big moron!" She wanted to punch him in the face, but he wasn't there in their apartment. She vented her anger by punching the innocent cushions resting on the couch.

The childhood sweethearts were enjoying their new status as 'engaged' by cuddling and snuggling on their couch when, his phone rang. Tsubasa frowned, he hated when someone 'disturbed' their make out session. He checked out the caller and was a little surprised to see it was his old elementary school teacher.

"Hello, sensei! It's good to hear from you." Tsubasa trying to be polite, "How's Mikan's search for her best friend going?...WHAT?..." After hearing what his sensei on the other side of line said, Tsubasa got up from the couch, kissed his fiance on the forehead and grabbed his shirt. Misaki was puzzled at his sudden change of expression. She clasped up her bra again and pulled her T-shirt back on. Their make out session was obviously over. Tsubasa covered his bare torso with his shirt while searching for a safe and obscure place to continue the conversation.

"Is she safe?" he asked as he started buttoning up his shirt. "What about the other two? The boys?" Misaki tried to eavesdrop on the conversation, but he wouldn't let her.

"Yeah...huh!...Ugh, as expected from Hyuuga...hmmmm...got it...I'll be there right away..." He cut the line. Turned back to face his fiancé. He held her hand in his and faced her. Misaki knew it was something serious. And it was something regarding their favorite kohai.

"Please tell me Mikan is safe," she asked with concern.

"Don't worry, she's fine. She's with Natsume remember?" He inhaled deeply and broke the bad news. "It's Noda. The AAO has him." He let his breath out.

"What?! How!?" Misaki was shocked.

"They were trying to get Mikan but couldn't, so they used Noda as a bait." He caressed her hand and continued, "Serina sensei confirmed that Mikan, Natsume and Ruka are safe with a guy called Paradox. They said he can be trusted. And those three will be soon into time dimension so their safety is secured, because the AAO definitely can't go in that dimension." He knew Misaki wouldn't like what he was going to say next. "Sakurano and the team at Academy have narrowed down his location. They want me to join the assault team."

"Why you? They have plenty of staff and DA members to do that." She frowned, "I won't allow you to go on dangerous mission. "

"Misaki." She sighed. She knew that he wanted to go help his friends. "I'm sorry. We'll have to delay our wedding. I know you wanted to hold it right after Mikan got back with Hotaru...but the situation's changed..."

He was still so stupid. It's not the wedding she's worried about. It's him. His safety. She didn't want anything to happen to her fiancé.

"Tsubasa you moron." She punched him friendly, "Just come back safe. The wedding can wait. It's no big deal...Just come back safe..." A tear escaped her eyes. She was a strong woman. A woman of substance. Someone who cried only when it was too difficult for her strong heart to bear. "Just come back safely..." She kept muttering as he kissed her tears away. He whispered, "I love you, beautiful," into her ear and in a few minutes, he was gone.

It has been two days since that incidence and she was still all alone in their apartment. "Please just come back safely," she murmured to herself again.

'Please come back safely' He thought he heard her voice brought by the breeze that kissed his ears. He focused his eyes on the enemy standing a few feet away from him. He signaled Shiki using his hands that he would freeze the guards. Shiki nodded. Shiki created a barrier around Tsubasa. He dashed out of his hiding place and ran for the guards. They fired at him, but thanks to Shiki's barrier he was saved. He dodged a few attacks and landed right on one of the guards shadow. He immobilized him long enough for Tono to knock him out with a blow. He lunged for the remaining three guards, capturing them one by one using his alice. Tono knocked them unconscious.

"All clear now," Tono called out to his colleagues who were hiding all the while. Hayate, Rui, Hajime and the 10 year old Youichi stepped out from the shadows.

"Ohh! Tsubasa-kun, you're so cool! You've become more masculine than you were in high school!" Rui dashed towards him squeezing his biceps and admiring them, "I am so glad that you came! My beloved Tsubasa..." Rui tried to kiss him on the lips, but Tsubasa pushed his face away with all his energy.

"Get away from me, you freak. I have a fiance."

Tono and Shiki had a good laugh at Tsubasa's poor condition.

"Don't worry Tsubasa I am sure Misaki will approve of him." Tono winked at his former kohai. "Shut up," Tsubasa murmured. "What's next?"

Shiki asked Youichi to send one of his spirit friends to get a look at the inside situation. Youichi summoned his most trusted spirit and ordered it to scan the interior of the building. The spirit returned with the findings and whispered it in Youichi's ears.

"Four guards at topmost level, one of them's a snipper. Three on second floor. And about ten to fifteen on the ground floor, give or take. All 's a woman there. Red haired, possibly their boss."

"What about Noda?" Hayate asked.

"He's tied up in basement. With two armed men," he replied.

"Okay, here's the plan", Shiki said the groups gathers around him. "Hayate take down the sniper. After he's down, Youichi and Hajime take control of the topmost floor. Tono and Tsubasa I want you to work on the ground floor. Rui, you and I will take care of the ground floor and make our way to basement. Got it?" Everyone nodded and agreed on the boss's plan.

Hayate changed created a whirlpool strong enough to levitate him to the roof. He broke the glass roof using slashes of wind and landed right onto the snipper's back taking him down with one blow. He was one tough college. He created another whirlpool for Haijime and Youichi to come there. Youichi scared off the two men approaching him using some ghosts and Haijime finished them using bee stings. The top floor was secured.

Meanwhile Tsubasa and tono had managed to jump onto the second floor and enter via a broken window.

"How's your sex life, eh Tsubasa?" Tono started his teasing, "I bet Misaki's awesome in bed." He winked. Tsubasa was irritated with teasing, now he landed Tono with a blow on his head, "Hey! Don't hit me! It's not my fault you haven't had sex in three days." Tono was persistent.

"Shut up already." Tsubasa was very angry.

"Look out!" Tono warned him. Tsubasa dunked the punch coming from the AAO man. And the fighting started.

"All units be alert. Intruder alert. Intruder alert." The siren went off. And the DA gang knew they had to be extra careful and extra fast now, because reinforcements were on their way. "Hurry up!" Shiki yelled at his team. Youichi aided Tono and Tsubasa with his spirits. Hayate and Hajime went to ground floor to help other.

The situation on ground floor was heated, as the AAO and DA engaged in fierce battle. Bees, wasps, wind slashes, barriers and curse filled miasma met with bullets and explosives. The DA were winning because of their edge over the others thanks to their alice.

"Hey, you look like one cute guy," Scarlet said as she battled with Rui. She seductively unbuttoned her first button as she approached him.

"No thanks! I am not interested in women. I have my Tsubasa." Rui created a miasma of curse around her and escaped. "That's one creepy woman," he muttered.

Gasping for air, Scarlet made her way to the stairs leading to second floor. She caught Tono's eyes.

"No way. That's..." He couldn't believe his eyes. "Tomoka!" He called out to her, but the commotion was too loud for his voice to get through. He ran towards her but by the time he reached there, she had disappeared again in the miasma.

"What's wrong?" Tsubasa asked him.

"Nothing. I thought I just saw someone I know."

"Tono, Tsubasa, do you hear me?"

"Shiki-san?"

"Yes, I am using Telepathy. Listen I want you two to go to basement and rescue Noda sensei. Got it? "

"Sir," They said in unison. "What's the condition down at your side?"

"Don't worry about us. We are doing fine. We have to get out of here as soon as we can."

"Noda sensei!" Tsubasa shook up the man tied up and badly beaten. He was evidently tired. He opened his eyes weakly, "Boys? What are you doing here?"

"We've come to rescue you of course," Tono replied as he carried Noda on his back. Noda would've slowed them down by the weakness in him limbs.

"What about those two men?" Noda asked about his guards.

"Taken care of," Tsubasa showed him the two guards tied up at one corner of the basement. "Let's go."

"Shiki-san, Noda sensei's safe with us. Mission accomplished. Let's leave." Tono sent a message to Shiki via telepathy. Shiki teleported the DA gang back to the outskirts of Academy. He almost fell unconscious teleporting 8 people at the same time was indeed tiring. There were some minor broken bones, scratches, sprains but Noda was safe, that's all that mattered.

"Okay, so how do we find Hotaru now?" Mikan said. "This is an awfully big place. She could be anywhere."

'Put those mushrooms to some use.' Paradox's advice echoed in ruka's mind. Suddenly an idea struck him.

"I have Imai's mushroom earplugs, I'll try to find their signal transmission that way we can find out the hole's in the time continuum. We can use them as worm holes and start getting closer to where Imai is. The interference gets louder and more irregular as we'll get closer to her." Ruka explained. Mikan didn't understand, but as long as the people with her understood, they'd be okay.

"So we use trial and error to locate her right?" Natsume asked.

"Yes." Ruka nodded. Mikan decided it was best not to even try to understand what physics her friend were trying to apply, because it would only result in a headache.

"Okay then send a transmission," Natsume asked.

Ruka pressed the outgoing switch and whispered, "Imai" into the mouthpiece of the mushrooms. A faint wave of reverberation came from nearby. They saw that a gap encircled by a ripple of waves. "That's it!" Ruka said, "that's the ripple and the hole Paradox told us about. Jump in." Ruka said as he ran towards that hole and jumped into the hole. Natsume and Mikan followed.

They went on the procedure of finding such holes and gaps surrounded by ripples and jumped in. Like Ruka had predicted the holes were getter bigger as they proceeded. The time dimension was also getting unstable as they entered further deep into the mysterious place. Shockwaves and electric pulses were getting more frequent as they travelled deeper into time. Natsume clutched tight onto Mikan's hand. The 'weather' was getting worse.

"Imai," Ruka repeated into the microphone but this time there wasn't one time ripple created but instead a series of four large worm holes opened up, very powerful ones. They were trying to suck everything into them. It was like a vacuum sucking off the dust on the floor. Mikan held her skirt down on her thighs with her hands. The current was strong. The trio tried to hold onto the 'ground' as firm as they could. They were holding hands firmly. Mikan couldn't hold onto the 'ground' anymore, she slipped.

"Mikan!" Natsume yelled as he grabbed her wrist tightly. The wormholes were having a tug of war as to which one would suck her in. She tightened her grip on his hand. "Ruka. Do something," Natsume called. That wormhole lead god-knows-where.

"Imai." He retransmitted the signal from the mushroom. The wormhole which was succeeding in sucking Mikan in, echoed the voice. "Nogi. Is that you?" Came a faint voice from inside that wormhole. Ruka knew that it was the one that would lead to Hotaru. "Let go Natsume."

"What? Are you insane?" Natsume said furiously.

"Let go! Trust me. We have to jump precisely into that wormhole."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me." Ruka was serious. Natsume closed his eyes. Prayed. And released Mikan's hand. She was sucked right into that wormhole which echoed Hotaru's voice mingled with Mikan's screams. Natsume and Ruka also jumped in after her.

"Safest place my ass" Natsume cursed Paradox's advice about the time being safest place for them. No wonder they called him Paradox.

"Ow.." Mikan rubbed her butt, "the ground here is hard."

"This electromagnetic spectrum is relatively stable. " Natsume was relieved, "Are you okay, Ichigo chara?" Natsume said, pointing out to her strawberry panties which were exposed off as her skirt was folded upwards.

"Do you always gotta be such a pervert?" Mikan complained as her face turned red. Ruka looked away in embarrassment.

"Thanks for the getting us through safe," Mikan said after tidying her skirt.

"Uh...anytime." He was still red.

"Imai should be close by." Natsume suggested.

"Yes, she replied to my previous transmission." Ruka said as he twirled around the mushroom. He switched on and sent another transmission.

"Imai, this is Ruka. Can you hear me?"

"Of course." Her voice was loud and clear enough to be heard by Mikan as well.

"Hotaru...I have come to rescue you..."

"You brought along the idiot for time travel."

"Aren't you glad to know we are here to rescue you?"

"No."

"Eh? How could you not?"

"I was having a peaceful life here, away from your loud winning. "

"Stop with jokes Imai," Natsume interrupted, "Tell us where you are?"

"Follow the ripples, I'm creating. These are electromagnetic resistance ripples, they'll lead you to me." And she cut the transmission.

"Yay! We'll soon meet Hotaru!" Mikan was overjoyed. Finally she was to be reunited with her best friend. She was to fulfill her promise she made that day. Just a few more minutes- er, time ripples.

This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and edited by Neverlookback756 and Sonic-Keyblade 007. If you liked the chapter, leave us a review with your comments and suggestions! Thanks for your support!